[SANTA CRUZ, PORTUGAL] — When looking for a cool design hotel outside Lisbon during my second first tour of Portugal, I saw an article on Areias do Seixo, full of pictures of crazy looking, organic rooms with stained stone, wooden log furniture, swings, and just amazing details. Every room was a revelation. That’s when I had to go to Areias do Seixo, one of the first and coolest design hotels in Portugal.

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After pulling into a sparse car park, no sign of life. You walk up to the huge, heavy wood doors — all big and Asian-y and intimidating, makes you feel like a bible salesman at Larry Ellison’s house — and they’re locked.

Oh no, are they closed? Did I get the date wrong?

Then you notice the small buzzer. And buzz. A big clanking noise and the antique rusted door latch opens up for you and the big door swings open.

And that’s when the smells hit. Wood fire. Strong rosemary. A waft of lavender. A swirling stiff breeze of scents that coarse through the gap and wallop your nose with calm. You smile.

Okay, this is the place.

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Areias do Seixo–One of the Coolest Design Hotels in Portugal

Once you walk through the big wooden doors, you walk right into a bright, light giant room, a restaurant actually. Light streaming from the windows and sky lights, the clanking of pots and pans from the open kitchen. Flowers. Bright fresh flowers, everywhere. The end of the room looks like a combination flower shop and antique store.

It’s sensory overload at first. POW. The scents. The textures. The colors. The sweet voices. You have to focus just to gain balance. And then you start to notice things. All the little things.

Well, really, the whole lobby is a restaurant.  Yep, this place is going to be juuuuust fine.

Then you notice are the small signs. Handwritten, in chalk, in that beautiful Euro cursive. Missives. All over. On posts. On tables. On the hunk of tree that serves as the Reception. Fresh, bright flowers buttonhole every nook and cranny. It’s like waking through Père Lachaise and following the “Jim —>” signs leading the way. You instantly can tell somebody cares about this place. 

Walk Along the Stunning Santa Cruz Coastline

At the time in 2015, I’d never read anything about this part of Portugal, always have only heard about the beaches of the Algarve.  I’ve seen it referred to as many things, never the same thing twice.  But basically “the Lisbon Coast”.  But when I walked outside for the first time and down the path to the beach, I ha-ha-ha’d out loud at this sight:

Walk Around the Incredible Grounds

Sink In to the Fantastic Architecture at Areias do Seixo

It’s nice, this.

Sexy is the operative word here. This places oozes Sexy.  Layers and layers of textures and colors. Inside and out. With one of the most stunning interior designs I’ve ever seen. It’s like what New York City’s ABC Home would look like if they built a hotel.

I’ve never been in a place where everything felt completely natural, directly from the earth. Concrete. Steel. Plaster. Stones. Glass. Flowers. Wood. Fur. Leather. I don’t recall a single piece of plastic, anywhere in the place.

Have a Sunset Cocktail by the Fire

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Okay, this was awkward… At first. A wine gathering around the campfire out back, nestled amidst the crops that we’d eat the next day. All the guests of the hotel. Free wine. Everyone teetering on tree stumps. Right before sunset, the roar of the ocean behind us. All these strange people thrown together for the first time. Not saying much, talking to their spouse in mumbled breath. Darting direct eye contact. Clearing of the throat. Cheese?

And then something magical happened. Almost instantly, perhaps it was the sun setting, or the dark red wine, all of a sudden someone said something to the group, a burst of laughter. All barriers were dropped. Like someone had farted. From then on it was a grand old time. “Where are you from?” “Austria.” “And you?” “Have you seen the beach?” “Where have you been?” “Where to next?” “Oh you definitely must…” Everyone was from someplace else. All different nationalities and backgrounds and languages. Nothing in common, but everything. All right here. Soon, everyone had switched places, the laughter got louder. Exchanges of emails and promises of future meet ups.

Such a cool thing, this. This, here. Lovely how magical travel is. And the warm glow of a campfire, melting the ice.

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Eat Everything at the “Table-to-Farm” Restaurant at Areias do Seixo

As you’d expect for a hotel with its own working farm, they celebrate food. And boy do they celebrate at Areias do Seixo.

What’s the coolest is that it’s a hotel wrapped around a restaurant wrapped around a farm.  You’ve heard of farm-to-table, but this is like bringing the table-to-farm (beds, too!).  All situated on a stunning cliff overlooking the crashing Lisbon Coast.

“This isn’t a farm-to-table restaurant, this a bringing-the-table-to-farm restaurant.”

The open kitchen in the center of the restaurant is the beating heart. You come for breakfast and the cooks are prepping, gathering food from the organic gardens out back.

After the glorious breakfast — of fresh eggs laid rightthere — the chefs trickle in. Stocks begin to simmer, filling the whole lobby with intense flavors. Menus are planned, plucked right from the garden. The chopping of the daily prep echoes throughout the lobby. You come for lunch. Or stop in for a midday cocktail or cappuccino: Chopping, baking, sautéing, braising.

You become one with the rhythms of the kitchen.

This is a place where every single, small detail has been thought about. It’s a family-run place and it feels like it, everywhere. The glassware. The forks and knives. The signs. Intricate flowers, everywhere. The menus. So much love in every inch. God, I loved this place.

Dinner Service begins. And the call-and-response chorus of “Yes, chef!” sing-songs you into anticipation of the first course.

They Grow All Their Own Food at Areias do Seixo

You can take a short tour of the greenhouse and gardens and here or read all about their sustainable practices. Whatever they don’t grow or raise right here, the rest they get from family fields further upland, or from nearby farmers and ranchers.

The Rooms at Areias do Seixo

The romantic rooms are all stacked up the hill. You definitely want to upspend to have the ocean view.  I tried, but everything was booked.

The Guestrooms at Areias do Seixo

Most of the rooms have their own terraces overlooking the sea.

The great boutique hotel website Mr & Mrs Smith listed Areias do Seixo as one of the Top Ten Sexiest Hotel Rooms in the world. I mean, look at these rooms, it’s like the designer was going “Phhhhhhhhhhhhh, ‘eeeere, hold this.” 🚬🌿 ” Okay, put that there….”

Here’s how amazing the rooms are (from the hotel’s website):

The Villas at Areias do Seixo

At the time way back in 2015, all the cool rooms were booked. But I really wanted to stay so I rented one of their new townhouses in the back for not much more money.  They are privately owned, but the hotel manages them. They are great for a family — sleeping in many bedrooms and floors — but they have a completely different feel than they other hotel rooms in the main building.  The main building rooms are even cooler looking than the lobby.

It’s funny, normally I would be all gaga over the design of these, say if they were a Four Seasons or upscale chain, these would be ideal. But when you come wanting to experience the organic feel of the logs, sticks, rope and fire of the design rooms in the main building, this place felt sterile. But perfectly wonderful. Loved the pool and opening up the back of village to the private garden.

[NOTE: Recently I’ve seen posts about the modern townhouses and it looks like they’ve redecorated them to have some of the funky feel of the sexy rooms in the main building.]

— Last visited April 2015. Updated May 2024 —

More Information About Areias do Seixo

Here is the hotels’ website. The dependable reviews from i-escape.com

Mr and Mrs Smith’s always awesome overview.  And Tablet Hotel’s great site, which is where I found out about this place. A great review in the Conde Nast Traveler site. Here’s an awesome video of the whole hotel on a site I’d never seen before. And a great overview in The Independent. And a 9/10 review from The Telegraph. And the Michelin Guide listing.

Here’s a great overview from my sweethearts at Jo&So and their always reliable guidance. You should follow them.

And just a fantastic story and overview from the amazing Nelson Carvalheiro — the king of all cool things in Portugal.